Pause To Think

On a winter morning in northern New Jersey, two dozen high school
students sit in a semicircle in a classroom, prepared to engage in a
kind of cultural experiment.

These teenagers, who are black, white, Korean, Puerto Rican, Indian,
have come to Plainfield High School in the wake of a snowstorm to talk
about prejudice with their peers, to analyze the true meaning of slang,
to "rap about race.''

They're taking a break from classes at their respective suburban,
urban, and private schools this morning to participate in a test run of
"Ethical Choices: Dealing With Diversity,'' a video curriculum
developed by WNET--the local public-television station--to address the
problems of ethnic, racial, and cultural bias. Some 1,500 high schools
across New Jersey and New York City recently received the video and
accompanying teacher's guide, courtesy of WNET and a local
health-insurance company.

And the sponsors of the educational package, hovering around this
seventh-floor schoolroom today, are eager to see it in action.

"Let's pretend this is not a classroom. Don't raise your hands,''
directs Dana Freeman, the jovial "master teacher'' who is about to lead
the students in a quick-paced interactive dialogue. Using the Socratic
method to probe the students' belief systems, Freeman tells the
students he will challenge their responses, demand explanations, and
play devil's advocate.

Flanked by two video monitors, Freeman strides confidently around
the room, wielding a remote control in his hand. He clicks on the
videotape. On the screen, Charles J. Ogletree, an assistant professor
at Harvard Law School and an expert in the Socratic method, leads a
discussion among a diverse panel of high school students.

Ogletree, who has interviewed Presidents, leading economists, and
Nobel Prize winners in this roundtable format for an occasional PBS
series, now directs his attention to this group of teenagers. Speaking
to Giselle Leung, a young woman of Asian descent, he presents a
scenario: "We are in the city of Metropolis. You are going back to
school. Some young white men drive by you and shout: 'Asians go home!'
How do you react?''

Leung says she wouldn't say anything because she was alone, but
admits that she would "definitely feel intimidated and scared.''

Freeman pauses the tape and poses the same question to his class.
"How would you feel?'' he asks Heidi Gaetano, an 11th grader of Korean
descent. Raising her shoulders, she says she would "shrug it off.''
Because she's adopted, Heidi says she isn't really bothered by racial
slurs.

"What causes people to act this way?'' asks Freeman, opening the
question to the circle of students, slumping in their chairs and
leaning on their elbows.

"These people are racist because of something in their past,'' one
student suggests. "Society makes you that way. You are not born hating
Asians.''

"You are not born racist, but you can't blame society for the things
you do,'' Heidi exclaims from across the room.

The Meaning of Slang

A brief lull falls over the class. Freeman clicks on the next
segment of the tape, and the students stare up at the monitors.

"Are people free to say what they really want to say in this
society?'' Ogletree asks the on-screen panel. "What if someone calls
you 'nigger'?'' he asks a black student, who begins to chuckle softly.
He's laughing, he says, because he thinks this imaginary harasser is
"stupid and ignorant.''

Freeman presses the pause button and looks furtively at the
students. This question seems to have piqued their interest. "Is it
appropriate to use racial slang?'' he asks.

But Shameko Greene, an African-American senior at Plainfield High,
thinks the term is acceptable in certain contexts. "When you say
'nigger,' it reminds you of the unity you have,'' Shameko says to a
room filled with dubious faces. "It's just a term that reminds you
you're tight.''

The video resumes and rap artist MC Lyte seems to agree with
Shameko, defending the use of the term that to many serves as a bitter
reminder of slavery and oppression. Among blacks, she says, the word is
used to mean "brother.''

Then Ogletree, who is black, asks, "Can I, if I'm white, say
'nigger'?''

"No!'' MC Lyte snaps back emphatically.

A Jewish student interjects that he thinks using the word at all
desensitizes its meaning. "It shouldn't be used until the feeling
behind the word is addressed,'' he argues.

But in the lexicon of political correctness, sometimes it's
difficult to know where the boundaries of appropriate speech begin and
end.

"Sometimes you're forced not to laugh if someone tells an uncool
joke,'' says Matthew Loper, an 11th grader at suburban Watchung Hills
Regional High School, who admits after the discussion to not always
knowing what's "cool'' to say.

"You can enter into conversation and inadvertently step on toes
because of the P.C. climate,'' says Peter Schmidt, the upper school
principal at the private Gill St. Bernard's School, who teaches a class
on race, class, and gender.

Pervasive Prejudice

Most of these students, all residents of northern New Jersey, are no
strangers to prejudice. Hali Barlow, an 11th-grade student at
Plainfield High, says he often feels stereotyped because he's black.
"If I wear jewelry, people think I'm a drug dealer,'' says Hali, who is
in a rap group called "Furious'' and tutors students after school.

Another student, who is of Middle Eastern descent, says he's often
called "Aladdin'' at school.

Michelle Lee, a freshman whose heritage is a mixture of Chinese,
Puerto Rican, Mexican, French, and African-American, admits with a
laugh that "it's really hard for me to be prejudiced.'' But she does
remember getting teased for speaking English when her parents took her
to dance classes in New York's Chinatown when she was young.

"Prejudice is pervasive, and everyone is guilty of racism,'' says
Matthew, who adds that the Ku Klux Klan recently approached his brother
for membership at the Southern college he attends.

Some students say we can never eliminate bigotry. Shaalu Isanaka, a
10th grader from Watchung Hills Regional High, takes a decidedly
pessimistic view of race relations. "All you need is one person to make
evil,'' she says. "The only way we could end prejudice,'' she adds
matter-of-factly, "is to line racist people against the wall and shoot
them.''

But most of the students in the room reject the idea that racism is
some universal evil that defies peaceful resolution. Instead, they
believe society instills prejudice in young people.

Part of the Solution

The hour has almost elapsed. Freeman stops the videotape and asks
the group of teenagers to brainstorm about how they would bring
together our culturally diverse society.

One student suggests that the entire student body should take a
class on race relations. Another proposes a monthly school assembly
where students could learn about different ethnic groups. Someone else
suggests a mandated multicultural curriculum. And many others think
performing community service, tutoring disadvantaged students, or
helping the homeless might help sensitize students.

Maybe we could just do this a few more times, another student adds.
"If you take what you learn out of this room and you apply it, it'll
work,'' echoes Kristen Simonelli, a senior at Gill St. Bernard's
School.

A Good Dialogue

No, a few hours of rigorous discussion won't make hate crimes
disappear or eliminate intolerance altogether. But Yvonne Duncan, the
director of school-based programs at Plainfield High and one of the
event's organizers, thinks this kind of interactive discussion can
really help dislodge the prejudice right beneath the surface.

"After you work with students,'' Duncan says, "you learn that the
unspoken prejudice is the worst because it makes them stick to
themselves.''

This program involves more than writing culturally sensitive terms
on a blackboard, she adds. In addition to challenging students to
explore their sense of ethics, the 30-minute video and 12-page
teacher's guide try to build critical-reasoning and communications
skills. The guide also features tips on how to lead a discussion on
building a multicultural curriculum.

Teachers will also find suggestions for such follow-up activities as
conducting a survey about student perspectives on diversity, making a
film about prejudice, and analyzing a week's worth of media coverage of
race relations.

Although the Plainfield test run marks the program's debut, WNET has
already received hundreds of requests from schools and other groups
interested in using "Ethical Choices: Dealing With Diversity.'' In
fact, WNET, which has spent $75,000 to date to develop and produce the
tape, hopes to expand the program to offer a 13-part video series with
units on AIDS, teenage pregnancy, and other issues "teachers often
don't have the tools to deal with,'' according to Ruth Ann Burns, the
director of the station's Educational Resources Center.

If you see people discussing racism in this documentary format,
Burns says, you begin to see the underlying causes. "Television can
help to defuse the animosity,'' she asserts.

One student, speaking of personal responsibility and self-esteem,
seems to crystallize the themes of the day.

"You as a person ought to have enough sense to begin to form your
own opinions,'' she says, exhorting her fellow students to resist
hateful impulses. Ultimately, "you just have to decide for
yourself.''

More information on WNET's interactive television programs and other
educational resources is available by calling (212) 560-6613.

Ground Rules for Posting
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.